Expanded NOPB project completed

NEW ORLEANS - The New Orleans Public Belt Railroad celebrated the completion of its France Road Railway expansion project that will increase throughput in the New Orleans rail gateway. 

Located along the Industrial Canal, the new railyard is designed to improve efficiencies and increase NOPB’s capacity to switch, interchange and store rail cars.

“Increasing our storage capacity through the New Orleans freight gateway serves the dual benefit of relieving rail congestion and offering customers, railroad partners and the Port of New Orleans a significant competitive edge,” said NOPB General Manager Tomeka Watson Bryant. 

The railyard construction is part of the $18.2M New Orleans Gateway Rail Fluidity and Capacity Improvements Project. 

NOPB is expanding its Claiborne Yard near the St. Claude area, which is projected to be finished in June 2024. 

Since the strategic alignment of the Port of New Orleans and NOPB in 2018, the railroad said switching revenues have increased over 20%.

NOPB’s operating income has increased nearly 300%. Increased storage revenues have risen to more than $3M annually. 

“Louisiana is fortunate to be a hub for global commerce," said U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, (R-La). "We can move goods by the Mississippi River, rail and road – and our ports are at the epicenter of these logistics and our regional economy." 

The NOPB Railroad is a major artery for Port NOLA, and this completed project, and resulting additional capacity, will pay dividends for the entire port ecosystem,” U.S. Rep. Garret Graves (R-La), said.

NOPB railroad is a key connector to six class I railroads. 

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) will announce more projects and funding opportunities this year, positioning rail as a central player in the state's transportation and economic future, according to Graves.

NOPB is a Class III railroad on the nation’s fourth-largest rail gateway that serves the Port NOLA and various industries. It connects directly with six class I railroads that tie Port NOLA and the supply chain directly to every U.S. market and Canada. (Biz new Orleans 08/24/23) NO Public Belt Railroad Completes Railyard Expansion - Biz New Orleans